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The purpose of this study was to identify the factors which help successful equity initiatives that had been seeded in technical and further education (TAFE) institutes through short-term funding to take root and spread. The report concludes that many equity programs remain stuck in the seeding stage and fail to thrive and grow. It suggests that this is because current funding approaches place too much emphasis on starting initiatives and not enough on the development and scale-up of promising ones. Specifically, the study finds: (1) The cause of equity appears to have lost ground during the past decade of vocational education and training (VET) reform. Many are of the view that equity needs to be reinstated as a priority principle in the sector, in line with the social justice foundations of VET established by Kangan in 1974; (2) Funds allocated through short-term pilot equity initiatives have been primarily used to purchase direct support for learners, including a substantial increase in teacher-to-student ratios. This individual support for disadvantaged clients--often with multiple disadvantages--results in good outcomes. However, the initiatives rarely permeate into the institutes to the extent of influencing other practitioners; (3) The most successful initiatives are those which had been established by people in the community rather than by government or government agencies, "outsiders" who had a long-term commitment to the specific equity group; (4) The funding model--"seed funding"--is flawed. One-off pilot projects rarely generate ongoing provision. Furthermore, pilot projects need to be systematically applied in other contexts to test their long-term applicability; and (5) Policy-makers and funding bodies responsible for equity in the VET sector need to rethink the funding mechanisms currently used to stimulate innovative equity practice. (Contains 2 tables and 4 figures.) [This work has been produced with funding provided through the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training. The author/project team was funded to undertake this research via a grant under the National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation (NVETRE) Program.]

Australia's system for helping youths make a successful transition from initial vocational education and training (VET) to working life was assessed through an analysis that focused on the following features that were identified by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as contributing to successful transitions: learning pathways and qualifications frameworks; learning in real work settings; provision of a broad range of general and vocational skills; "youth-friendly" labor markets; safety nets and reintegration; information and guidance; effective institutional frameworks; and monitoring tools. The following were identified as being among Australia's significant achievements in establishing a system to support successful transitions from VET to working life: establishment of the Australian Qualifications framework; active engagement of industry in development of competency standards; and efforts to increase learners' participation in real work settings through the New Apprenticeships and VET in Schools programs. The issues identified as being among the five most significant remaining to be addressed were: developing effective programs for identifying potential dropouts and reintegrating dropouts into the educational system; developing integrated approaches to career guidance; improving opportunities for learning in real work settings; and taking steps to ensure that existing structures and frameworks serve the interests of both learners and employers. (MN)

A three-part strategy for research in vocational education and training (VET) in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, was proposed. The strategy was developed after a review of current key documents, initial consultations with key stakeholders and NSW Board of Vocational Education and Training officers, discussions with focus groups of users of VET research, and circulation of a discussion paper to VET stakeholders from the public and private sectors. The strategy's elements were as follows: a framework (broad set of principles) within which research and development within the VET sector can be developed and maintained; specific proposals for priority areas for research activity; and specific proposals for processes that the NSW Board of Vocational Education could adopt to strengthen the quality, amount, and usefulness of research. It was recommended that research in VET adopt the model of best practice in industry and that priority be given to research on the following topics: future scenarios and implications for VET planning; delivery of VET; reflection of the rhetoric of training reform in practice; the role of industry in VET policy and practice; and better data to help in training reform. (Appended are the following: definitions, description of the study methodology, and list of organizations providing input to the project.) (MN)

Recent Australian and overseas studies on evaluation of enterprises' return on training investment (ROTI) were reviewed to identify key issues in encouraging increased evaluation of training benefits by enterprises and successful approaches that may inform future "enterprise-friendly" studies of ROTI. It was concluded that more practical, creative, and cost-effective approaches to determining ROTI are needed so as to encourage more enterprises of all sizes to conduct their own ROTI studies. The following were among the recommendations emerging from the review: (1) adopt a broad definition of training that incorporates all forms of learning and skill formation; (2) use the term ROTI when evaluating enterprise returns from training rather than the narrower quantitative term "return on investment"; (3) develop and use ROTI approaches that provide decision makers with timely, useful, and accessible qualitative and quantitative evidence of the contribution of training to enterprises' operational and strategic priorities; and (4) focus on using existing enterprise data. More than 50 possible training outcomes were identified under the following headings: productivity and efficiency; sales and profitability; quality of products and services; customer service and satisfaction; occupational health and safety; organizational learning and development; and organizational climate and practices. (Contains 54 references.) (MN)

Trends in lifelong learning were examined through a review of the following: perspectives of selected international organizations (Council of Europe; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; and the European Union); experiences of five European countries (Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom); and case studies of lifelong learning in five Australian cities (Albury-Wodonga, Ballarat, Devonport, Newcastle, and Canberra). The study identified four bottlenecks that must be overcome if the rhetoric surrounding lifelong learning is to be converted into reality: (1) developing a culture of lifelong learning must be motivated by more than the economic rationale that currently dominates policy thinking; (2) despite persistent efforts at bridging the differences between general education and vocational education and training, the gap remains; (3) the level of employer involvement in lifelong learning programs clearly remains inadequate; and (4) new resources are needed if implementation of policies for lifelong learning is to become affordable. (Contains 23 references. Appended are a list of the lifelong learning conclusions adopted by the Council of the European Union and an overview of Sweden's Adult Education Initiative. The case studies, which contain 10 tables, make up approximately 60 per cent of this document.) (MN)

This study examined the implications of lifelong learning for vocational education and training (VET) in Australia. Data were collected from the following activities: literature review; consultations across Australia with stakeholders; case studies in five locations (Albury-Wodonga, Devonport, Ballarat, Newcastle, Canberra); investigations into developments in other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries; and preparation of an interim report and discussion of that report at a national seminar in Sydney in November 1998. The study established that major changes in VET's socioeconomic environment have made it essential that the sector develop and implement coherent policies and strategies (such as the Learning City) to advance lifelong learning opportunities for all Australians. Specific actions to promote lifelong learning and help transform Australia into a learning society were recommended for the following entities: Ministerial Council on Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs; national and state/territorial governments; Australian National Training Authority; Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs; National Centre for Vocational Education Research; industry associations; and VET institutions. (Contains 147 references and 23 tables/figures/exhibits. Appended are the following: glossary; project terms of reference; a report on the project seminar; project group members; overview of the case studies; and the report's recommendations and principal themes.) (MN)

The history and current state of evaluation of vocational education and training (VET) in Australia was examined. The study's main conclusion was that, despite its important potential, evaluation has thus far been little used for the improvement of VET in Australia. Other conclusions of the study were as follows: (1) little development of evaluation theory has occurred over the past few decades; (2) during the past 5 years, only 98 evaluations of VET and 4 evaluations of workplace training were published; (3) according to a recent survey of industry, only 48% of worksites formally evaluated any training delivered in the past year; (4) most of the information being sought by Technical and Further Education (TAFE) agencies requires routine processing of data already held on TAFE's computer systems; (5) because of its relative ease and inexpensiveness, the performance indicators approach has replaced traditional course evaluation approaches in most areas of formal VET in Australia and overseas; and (6) three issues affecting the current state of evaluation of VET in Australia are little or no theory base, little policy focus, and little evaluation of "big" issues. (The report contains 43 references. Appended is a chart explaining the traditional division between evaluation and research.) (MN)

Reviews competency-based models developed by the Ontario Society for Training and Development, American Society for Training and Development, Australia's National Training Board, and Britain's Training and Development Lead Body. Suggests an integrated approach that identifies knowledge, skills, and attributes underlying performance without rigid checklists of observable behaviors. (SK)